Chapter 141: 141. Chapter 139: Little Star Horn Market

Peng Zhan led Ding Huan and the others to a densely built-up area.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense scanned far away and spotted, not far from this residential zone, a bustling marketplace.

The marketplace was crowded with people coming and going, clearly extremely noisy.

Ding Huan stared blankly at Peng Zhan:

"Brother Peng, do you think this is a quiet place?"

Peng Zhan slapped his chest:

"Friend, rest assured, this place is absolutely quiet.

Unless you have some secret someone holds over you, or you've offended someone, few will bother you if you live here."

Ding Huan finally understood:

"Brother Peng, you mean if you live somewhere remote and sparsely populated, it's dangerous?"

Peng Zhan affirmed:

"Friend, the Four Directions Star Continent looks peaceful on the surface, but in truth, robbery and murder are everywhere underground.

If you dare live in a deserted, secluded spot, I guarantee within three days, someone will sneak into your home at night to steal your belongings."

He pointed to the spot where Ding Huan had just gotten off the air cart:

"I, Peng Zhan, conduct business with principles of righteousness. You saw it yourself when you got off the air cart—many are fighting for customers.

But I warn you, some of them are fake merchants—they lure outsiders to secluded places, then at night…"

Here, Peng Zhan made a throat-slitting gesture.

Ding Huan bowed his fist:

"Thank you, Brother Peng."

Peng Zhan was very pleased Ding Huan appreciated his warning.

In truth, though he exaggerated a bit, he wasn't entirely lying.

"This area is called Xiao Xingjiao Marketplace. There are many empty houses, but if you want to rent one, you must pay a very high deposit.

Should I help you find one, or shall we stop here?" Peng Zhan looked at Ding Huan expectantly.

If Ding Huan asked him to help find a place, it meant Ding Huan wasn't too poor.

Because he charged for his assistance.

Ding Huan quickly said:

"Brother Peng, you've helped enough—I'm very grateful. We'll look for ourselves. How much is your guidance fee?"

Peng Zhan sensed Ding Huan wasn't very wealthy, but business was business—price negotiation was expected:

"The usual rate here is fifty black gold coins…"

"Ah, so expensive?" Ding Huan exclaimed.

Without waiting for Peng Zhan to lower the price, he hesitated and said, "I don't have enough black gold on me—I'll go exchange some for you."

Peng Zhan had originally planned to ask for twenty black gold coins—even ten would have been acceptable.

He hadn't expected Ding Huan to be so impatient—he merely cried out "expensive" and didn't even haggle.

How could he wait for Ding Huan to realize his mistake:

"I can give you change."

Ding Huan reluctantly pulled out a purple gold coin and handed it to Peng Zhan:

"Brother Peng, this business of yours is truly profitable."

Peng Zhan swiftly took the purple gold coin, gave Ding Huan fifty black gold coins in change, then said:

"We also pay high commissions and taxes. Don't think just because I take fifty black gold coins from you, I'll keep much for myself."

"Still, thank you, Brother Peng."

Ding Huan took the fifty black gold coins.

Peng Zhan hadn't expected to make so much this time.

After receiving the coins, he voluntarily reminded Ding Huan: renting a house required a middleman, then hurried off.

Peng Zhan meant Ding Huan must use an agent or broker to find housing.

"Xiaotu, I think he'd have accepted a lower price."

Qi Qi Xinyue looked puzzled; though clever, she was still young when she left home and lacked experience in social customs.

"It's just dozens of black gold coins—it doesn't matter whether we haggle or not. The main thing is we mustn't reveal we're wealthy, or we'll have endless trouble."

Ding Huan explained.

He wasn't afraid of being robbed—his only concern was that one group would come today, another tomorrow, and it would be a nuisance.

Had he not wanted to hide his wealth, he wouldn't have asked Peng Zhan to return fifty black gold coins at all.

Ding Huan clearly understood: never display kindness inappropriately.

It was because Peng Zhan's information pleased him that he didn't haggle down to ten black gold coins—if not, he might have.

Ding Huan had originally intended to find a secluded spot to live, but Peng Zhan's warning changed his mind.

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In this place, seclusion doesn't mean quiet.

Xiao Xingjiao's residents are extremely diverse, and it's close to the marketplace—living here isn't bad.

As soon as they entered the residential area, Ding Huan saw rows of housing agents and independent brokers.

Clearly, housing business here was booming.

Ding Huan didn't approach any of these brokers or agents—he noticed many houses had "For Rent" signs posted on their doors.

If that's the case, it's better to find the owner yourself.

Ding Huan wanted to buy a house; after looking around, he found that while property business here was thriving, most deals were rentals, with very few houses listed for sale.

A few houses were listed for sale, but their locations all seemed average.

The prices were within Ding Huan's budget, roughly two thousand purple gold coins each.

One with a small courtyard was priced at three thousand purple gold coins.

Compared to rent, Ding Huan even thought this price was absurdly cheap.

"That person said we should find an agent to rent a house."

Qi Qi Xinyue reminded Ding Huan.

Ding Huan explained:

"Xinyue, look at this place—it's all fist-sized talk. Even if we find an agent, problems will still arise."

You can imagine the problems an agent here could solve for us are limited; whether we find one or not makes no difference."

Qi Qi Xinyue nodded; she understood Ding Huan's meaning.

That is, when finding a house through an agent, minor issues the agent can fix after being paid.

But in Ding Huan's eyes, he had no need to let an agent solve minor issues.

Major issues the agent can't solve—so why bother with an agent at all?

"This place is good."

Ding Huan stopped outside a small courtyard.

The courtyard was not far from the marketplace, and the surrounding area was relatively open.

In this crowded residential zone, it was quiet amid the noise.

Not far from the courtyard stood a massive rock, on which two characters were carved: Xing Tan.

In fact, there was no pond here, not even a drainage ditch.

"Xiaotu, there aren't any signs for rent or sale outside?"

Qi Qi Xinyue looked puzzled.

"If there were, we wouldn't be the ones standing here."

As Ding Huan spoke, he walked up and knocked on the door.

The courtyard gate opened, revealing a burly man with a fearsome face.

He stared at Ding Huan:

"What do you want?"

His tone was clearly annoyed—he'd clearly been disturbed.

Ding Huan bowed his fist, smiling broadly:

"I want to buy this courtyard. Name your price."

"Not for sale." The burly man replied without hesitation, turning to shut the door.

Before the man could close it, Ding Huan spoke: "Five thousand purple gold coins."

He had seen posted prices elsewhere; one such courtyard had been listed at around three thousand purple gold coins.

Even if he offered slightly less, the difference shouldn't be much.

Upon hearing "five thousand purple gold coins," the burly man instinctively swallowed.

Five thousand purple gold coins—such a fortune, where could he ever earn it?

No, this man dared offer five thousand—meaning he could offer even more.

But before he could speak, Ding Huan preempted him:

"I have only five thousand purple gold coins on me. If you're not willing, we'll go elsewhere."

"Willing! Come in, let's talk." The burly man opened the door and let Ding Huan and Qi Qi Xinyue enter the courtyard.

But he glanced one last time at Lao Liu, a flicker of doubt in his mind.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Ding Huan felt it was suitable—at least for alchemizing talismans and practicing the evasion technique.

Here, he could alchemize talismans, train the evasion technique, and meanwhile inquire about starships from advanced civilization planets.

Once he learned of any starship arriving from an advanced civilization planet, he'd immediately find a way to board it and leave this place that looked well-connected but was in truth a wasteland.

"Friend, are you really willing to pay five thousand purple gold coins for this courtyard?"

After entering, the burly man stared at Ding Huan, his eyes darting nervously.

Ding Huan sneered inwardly—he didn't know if he could act here, but if this man dared move first, he'd kill him.

"Correct. Here are five thousand purple gold coins."

Ding Huan tossed a cloth bag onto the table.

The bag was the one given to him by Tou Jie; when he dropped it, it clinked sharply—clearly filled with many purple gold coins.

The burly man reached out eagerly, but his hand grasped air—the bag landed back in Ding Huan's hand.

"If you sell, it's yours. If not, it has nothing to do with you."

Ding Huan said calmly.

"Sell! Of course I'll sell! Give me the money, and the house is yours."

The burly man replied without hesitation.

Ding Huan did not hand over the money; he simply stared at the burly man, saying nothing.

The burly man, seeing this, had no choice but to fetch the property deed. Ding Huan's spiritual sense had already settled on the deed.

Though Four-Direction Starland was a chaotic mix of a starland, the deed was surprisingly well-made.

The deed even had a photo of the burly man.

The big man was named Kan Ni, and the document listed him as a resident of the Four Directions Star Lands.

Ding Huan was not familiar with what the original property deed for the Four Directions Star Lands looked like, but at least he could detect no signs of forgery on this deed.

"Look, the property deed is right here," Kan Ni waved the deed in his hand.

Ding Huan said coolly:

"Since I dared come here to buy a house, I naturally inquired into your reputation, Kan Ni—so let's go to the Exchange to process the transfer."

Ding Huan did not know whether property transfers required going to the Exchange.

But he had needed to go to the Exchange when selling the Blue Star, so buying a house likely required it too.

Kan Ni was stunned—he had assumed Ding Huan, daring to come to him for a house, was a newcomer who knew nothing of his power.

Yet this man knew who he was, Kan Ni, and still came to buy a house—this young man was clearly no ordinary fellow.

But his gaze fell on the cloth sack in Ding Huan's hand, and his greed could no longer be concealed.

His house was worth at most three thousand odd Purple Gold Coins; in this place, few bought houses—most rented.

This deal must not be missed.

"Fine, if that's the case, let's go together," Kan Ni stood up.

Once he got the money, he would carefully investigate Ding Huan's background.

In his mind, Ding Huan was probably just bluffing—he could always reclaim the house later.

He was certain Ding Huan had never met the original owner of this house; if he had, he would never have bought it.